I'll leave you to re-read the bit about dark fibre. And then look for the bit in my original post about running CAT6 across rural distances (amazingly, you won't find it). And then I expect you to say something sensible.
I don't see anything about dark fiber, and you seem to be wanting to run Cat6 across rural distances. If that's not your intention, please explain how else you would go about doing so. If you suggest that we do so by running fiber to nearby distribution boxes and then running Cat6 to the home, why not just skip the extra hardware and gain some extra capacity by running the fiber straight to the home?
I've probably lived in more rural communities in more countries than you could shake a stick at, so cut the wise-ass remarks. If I say I know damn well that you can get CAT6 to people's houses, then I suggest you start by asking how, not telling me that it can't be done. I won't say the problem's not solvable unless I've actually done the work to know it is solvable and have the engineering skills to know what the limits of theory are in practice. The people who get things done are not the ones who say it can't be done. The ones who get things done are the ones who establish IF, WHEN and HOW -- questions you utterly fail to ask.
If you haven't asked those questions for each and every damn article you read and each and every post you reply to, you have failed.
Why the shit would you run Cat6 rather than fiber? Cat6 is only good for 100 meters, it's not capable of anything close to the capacity of fiber, and it's susceptible to electromagnetic interference. The fact that you're suggesting running Cat6 to every home in a rural area shows that you have no idea what you're talking about.
Of course, the free market is evil so that'll never happen.
Don't ever say "free market is evil because the government gives corporations monopolies" because government-awarded monopoly is the exact opposite of free market.
And I'm not actually sure it transmits the data over the phone line, I think it only records time based usage, as opposed to just total usage, that the meter-reader then downloads with a PDA-like device.
The smart meters I just recently got from PG&E are actually connected to some sort of wireless network. I don't think it's 802.11. It uses some kind of network mesh to transmit hourly meter reads to home base by using a nearby device (usually another meter) as a repeater until it reaches a network access point that's installed on a power pole somewhere.
"Considering the way they drove Netscape/Mozilla/Firefox into near oblivion with devious practices, this seems a lot like sending a valentine’s day card to your rape victim, every year."
That's what I do and she doesn't seem to mind. I'd say it's common courtesy.
Their engineers may be treated relatively well, but I bet they don't earn nearly as much as the managers do. They most probably have less secondary benefits as well.
Wow, ya think so? So you're saying that the people above the engineers actually make more money and benefits than the people they're above? Get outta here *gay hand wave, cheesy smile*.
Can someone explain to me how long these years are? I find the TFA confusing.
Our years are calculated by the circuit of our own planet around the sun. So does this rainy weather last for literal earth years or are they talking about relative years? And then: Saturn yars or Titan years? And what would a Titan year be since it doesn't revolve around the sun directly.
Yeah, I don't have a clue about astronomy;).
And the seasons are years long, as Titan takes two weeks to go around Saturn and Saturn takes 29 years to complete one circuit of the Sun.
Obviously we're talking about Earth years, because Saturn revolving once around the sun cannot possibly take 29 Saturn years as that would completely contradict the definition of the word "year".
I didn't dodge anything. As you are very well aware it is very difficult to determine coverage overlap simply by looking at the maps. What I did do, however, is point out that this is further consolidation that does not in any way, shape or form preclude even more consolidation - and as you yourself note, there are many places where there are only two providers.
Your differentiation between CDMA and GSM technologies as your gambit, though, does allow me to point something else out: This merger of Tmobile and AT&T will snare Tracfone users, as "over 90% of Tracfone customers will use one of these two carriers"; the two carriers in question being Tmobile and AT&T.
In this economy that increasingly favors only the well-heeled, the new ability AT&T will have to put the squeeze on Tracfone could - and likely should - be considered to be a threat to those Americans who cannot get a cell phone any way other than through "no-contract" companies. And since that slide out of the middle class has achieved the status of an economic trend in this Republican economy, that is likely to be a significant - if not the - driver behind AT&T's decision.
That would be good for sales of AT&T's "Go Phone", wouldn't it, if suddenly Tracfone was unable to be cost-competitive?
I did not ever say there are only two providers. I said there are at least two providers. Most providers usually offer free roaming these days, so as long as you have coverage with one provider on the same frequency as yours, you have coverage.
You also seem to not realize that there are other prepaid cellular services than Tracfone and GoPhone. Amp'd, Boost, Virgin, and Verizon Prepaid to name a few. Those are all on CDMA, so they aren't subject to AT&T's grapple hold on the nation's GSM network.
It seems like whenever a large corporation makes an acquisition of another large corporation, people always run around like it's going to completely ruin the world and our economy and every consumer everywhere. The sky is not falling, folks. Consumers still have the power to vote with their wallets, and that power isn't going anywhere. Are Alltel customers any worse off than before their acquisition? Are SiriusXM customers any worse off than before that merger? The only two satellite radio providers in the country merging to become one supermonopoly? It's still $12.95/mo and the coverage and programming is better than ever. What's the big deal?
Before, or after this merger? And then there is always the next merger...entirely predictable, since competition inhibits profits.
You conveniently dodged the question there. Everywhere I have ever been in the last 5 years (and I've been deep in the boonies on several occasions) had coverage from at least one cellular provider on CDMA and at least one provider on GSM. That makes at least two. Everywhere.
> No, but if I did, I would be able to sue the grocery store for violation of their contract, as you can with the cellular companies if the service they're providing is suddenly sub-par and vastly inferior to its conditions at the start of the contract.
You almost certainly can't--read your contract. You can go to arbitration. Which you will lose.
You can always sue somebody. If the court finds them guilty of violating their contract, then the arbitration clause doesn't matter.
Do ya get locked into a one-year contract at yer grocery store wherein if your vittles suddenly start reeking of rotting chicken and have shiny little worms crawling around in them too bad, ya gotta eat 'em anyway?
No, but if I did, I would be able to sue the grocery store for violation of their contract, as you can with the cellular companies if the service they're providing is suddenly sub-par and vastly inferior to its conditions at the start of the contract.
Around here the problem is a lack of providers.... Around here we've got Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T. I think that Boost might be available, but that's it.
...
So, it's a (probably colluding) oligopoly, which is so much better...
Around here, we have less grocery stores (something generally necessary for comfortable life) than that: Safeway, Lucky, another Safeway, and a very expensive place geared more towards the healthy local organic-eating rich crowd (kind of like Whole Foods, but more expensive and less national chain). I don't see what the big deal is about the cell companies.
Or read this article about how the US coverage from nearly all outlets (not just Fox) is sensationalist, late, and often just wrong?
As it is from EVERY news outlet regarding EVERY story. I was watching ABC World News last night (had nothing better to do) and I was severely facepalming at the sensationalist questions the anchor lady was asking the reporter in Libya. Everybody does it. Nobody is immune to it. You're delirious if you think Fox is the only station that's biased to any degree, and you're insane if you avoid them because of it. A well-informed individual gathers his news from all sources knowing that all sources are at best not in possession of the entire truth and at worst telling blatant lies, and averages it all together.
That rant ended up being a few sentences longer than I was hoping, but the facts still stand.
I know this is horribly off-topic but for the sake of archival, somewhere, of some sorts, let me share with you this awesome piece of information: in Chrome, go to <chrome://flags>. There, find the "click to start plugin" option (and/or anything else you fancy:D). Then go to the configuration panel to find a third option: allow plugins, disable plugins and *click to enable*.
Big score!
How is that horribly off-topic? It seems to be very precisely on-topic.
I would imagine so. Frankly, people should be applauding the fact that Apple has way loosened up on their editorial stance of the App Store and have started letting things in that are more risque and potentially offensive. It's not like they automatically install apps to your phone, you still have to go out and download it yourself. And this is certainly not an app that you will find in an Apple commercial (although I think that would be hilarious), but that doesn't mean they should have rejected it.
Freedom of speech goes in every direction, people. I know many of you think that freedom of speech should only count for what YOU think and what YOU have to say, but it doesn't. Sorry.
(I completely respect the gay community and disagree with the 'Gay Cure' app, but censorship of any kind is an evil thing that only leads to more censorship. Freedom for all is more important than emotional comfort for some.)
Tsunamis aren't waves that travel across the ocean and destroy everything they travel under. It's a huge volume of water moving in a particular direction, usually present near the bottom of the ocean and unnoticeable at the top, and it only has the potential to do damage when said volume of water reaches land and flows a mile at high speed.
So in other words bosses manage people and technologists manage technology. Who knew?
In other words, programmers will continue to stay at lower pay scales and be treated like drones even though they do the hard work.
In other other words, programmers who have no management skills will continue to stay at the level where they perform their job best: programming. The rare few that DO have both programming AND management skills will be treasured and move up the company ladder faster than any person who possesses only half of the equation.
Seniority is bullshit. I don't care if you've been with my company for 20 years. If your boss is a 25 year old kid that just started here, it's because you don't have the skills to be in his position, and he does.
There's nothing wrong with quoting authorities as a shorthand in a conversation, but it's not a valid argument, just an allusion.
Hey, how about "why the fuck are we arguing over whether somebody's argument about a SUBJECTIVE matter is a fallacy?" He says Direct3D is better, because he thinks it's better. Argument from authority means absolutely nothing here.
I don't know enough fluid dynamics or whatever; but I'm surprised "when" isn't just "distance / speed-of-waves", and "how big" is just "size * some 1/distance factor, or perhaps 1/distance-squared if energy goes down too.
Those calculations are easy. The problem lies in determining the size, direction, and speed of something that is invisible.
Slashdot Mirror
I'll leave you to re-read the bit about dark fibre. And then look for the bit in my original post about running CAT6 across rural distances (amazingly, you won't find it). And then I expect you to say something sensible.
I don't see anything about dark fiber, and you seem to be wanting to run Cat6 across rural distances. If that's not your intention, please explain how else you would go about doing so. If you suggest that we do so by running fiber to nearby distribution boxes and then running Cat6 to the home, why not just skip the extra hardware and gain some extra capacity by running the fiber straight to the home?
I've probably lived in more rural communities in more countries than you could shake a stick at, so cut the wise-ass remarks. If I say I know damn well that you can get CAT6 to people's houses, then I suggest you start by asking how, not telling me that it can't be done. I won't say the problem's not solvable unless I've actually done the work to know it is solvable and have the engineering skills to know what the limits of theory are in practice. The people who get things done are not the ones who say it can't be done. The ones who get things done are the ones who establish IF, WHEN and HOW -- questions you utterly fail to ask.
If you haven't asked those questions for each and every damn article you read and each and every post you reply to, you have failed.
Why the shit would you run Cat6 rather than fiber? Cat6 is only good for 100 meters, it's not capable of anything close to the capacity of fiber, and it's susceptible to electromagnetic interference. The fact that you're suggesting running Cat6 to every home in a rural area shows that you have no idea what you're talking about.
Of course, the free market is evil so that'll never happen.
Don't ever say "free market is evil because the government gives corporations monopolies" because government-awarded monopoly is the exact opposite of free market.
And I'm not actually sure it transmits the data over the phone line, I think it only records time based usage, as opposed to just total usage, that the meter-reader then downloads with a PDA-like device.
The smart meters I just recently got from PG&E are actually connected to some sort of wireless network. I don't think it's 802.11. It uses some kind of network mesh to transmit hourly meter reads to home base by using a nearby device (usually another meter) as a repeater until it reaches a network access point that's installed on a power pole somewhere.
It's pretty neat, actually. Here's a link.
"Considering the way they drove Netscape/Mozilla/Firefox into near oblivion with devious practices, this seems a lot like sending a valentine’s day card to your rape victim, every year."
That's what I do and she doesn't seem to mind. I'd say it's common courtesy.
Their engineers may be treated relatively well, but I bet they don't earn nearly as much as the managers do. They most probably have less secondary benefits as well.
Wow, ya think so? So you're saying that the people above the engineers actually make more money and benefits than the people they're above? Get outta here *gay hand wave, cheesy smile*.
Can someone explain to me how long these years are? I find the TFA confusing.
Our years are calculated by the circuit of our own planet around the sun. So does this rainy weather last for literal earth years or are they talking about relative years? And then: Saturn yars or Titan years? And what would a Titan year be since it doesn't revolve around the sun directly.
Yeah, I don't have a clue about astronomy ;).
And the seasons are years long, as Titan takes two weeks to go around Saturn and Saturn takes 29 years to complete one circuit of the Sun.
Obviously we're talking about Earth years, because Saturn revolving once around the sun cannot possibly take 29 Saturn years as that would completely contradict the definition of the word "year".
compared to the literally life and death necessity of a phone
Any credibility you once had. Gone.
I didn't dodge anything. As you are very well aware it is very difficult to determine coverage overlap simply by looking at the maps. What I did do, however, is point out that this is further consolidation that does not in any way, shape or form preclude even more consolidation - and as you yourself note, there are many places where there are only two providers. Your differentiation between CDMA and GSM technologies as your gambit, though, does allow me to point something else out: This merger of Tmobile and AT&T will snare Tracfone users, as "over 90% of Tracfone customers will use one of these two carriers"; the two carriers in question being Tmobile and AT&T. In this economy that increasingly favors only the well-heeled, the new ability AT&T will have to put the squeeze on Tracfone could - and likely should - be considered to be a threat to those Americans who cannot get a cell phone any way other than through "no-contract" companies. And since that slide out of the middle class has achieved the status of an economic trend in this Republican economy, that is likely to be a significant - if not the - driver behind AT&T's decision. That would be good for sales of AT&T's "Go Phone", wouldn't it, if suddenly Tracfone was unable to be cost-competitive?
I did not ever say there are only two providers. I said there are at least two providers. Most providers usually offer free roaming these days, so as long as you have coverage with one provider on the same frequency as yours, you have coverage.
You also seem to not realize that there are other prepaid cellular services than Tracfone and GoPhone. Amp'd, Boost, Virgin, and Verizon Prepaid to name a few. Those are all on CDMA, so they aren't subject to AT&T's grapple hold on the nation's GSM network.
It seems like whenever a large corporation makes an acquisition of another large corporation, people always run around like it's going to completely ruin the world and our economy and every consumer everywhere. The sky is not falling, folks. Consumers still have the power to vote with their wallets, and that power isn't going anywhere. Are Alltel customers any worse off than before their acquisition? Are SiriusXM customers any worse off than before that merger? The only two satellite radio providers in the country merging to become one supermonopoly? It's still $12.95/mo and the coverage and programming is better than ever. What's the big deal?
Before, or after this merger? And then there is always the next merger...entirely predictable, since competition inhibits profits.
You conveniently dodged the question there. Everywhere I have ever been in the last 5 years (and I've been deep in the boonies on several occasions) had coverage from at least one cellular provider on CDMA and at least one provider on GSM. That makes at least two. Everywhere.
So you're telling me that we should be happy that Apple deems it acceptable to ban porn apps
Where in my comment did I say that?
> No, but if I did, I would be able to sue the grocery store for violation of their contract, as you can with the cellular companies if the service they're providing is suddenly sub-par and vastly inferior to its conditions at the start of the contract.
You almost certainly can't--read your contract. You can go to arbitration. Which you will lose.
You can always sue somebody. If the court finds them guilty of violating their contract, then the arbitration clause doesn't matter.
that leaves you sans a cell phone unless you're in an area with overlapping coverage from multiple carriers....
Care to name an area with a population density greater than 10/sqmi which doesn't have that?
Do ya get locked into a one-year contract at yer grocery store wherein if your vittles suddenly start reeking of rotting chicken and have shiny little worms crawling around in them too bad, ya gotta eat 'em anyway?
No, but if I did, I would be able to sue the grocery store for violation of their contract, as you can with the cellular companies if the service they're providing is suddenly sub-par and vastly inferior to its conditions at the start of the contract.
Around here the problem is a lack of providers. ... Around here we've got Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T. I think that Boost might be available, but that's it.
...
So, it's a (probably colluding) oligopoly, which is so much better...
Around here, we have less grocery stores (something generally necessary for comfortable life) than that: Safeway, Lucky, another Safeway, and a very expensive place geared more towards the healthy local organic-eating rich crowd (kind of like Whole Foods, but more expensive and less national chain). I don't see what the big deal is about the cell companies.
Or read this article about how the US coverage from nearly all outlets (not just Fox) is sensationalist, late, and often just wrong?
As it is from EVERY news outlet regarding EVERY story. I was watching ABC World News last night (had nothing better to do) and I was severely facepalming at the sensationalist questions the anchor lady was asking the reporter in Libya. Everybody does it. Nobody is immune to it. You're delirious if you think Fox is the only station that's biased to any degree, and you're insane if you avoid them because of it. A well-informed individual gathers his news from all sources knowing that all sources are at best not in possession of the entire truth and at worst telling blatant lies, and averages it all together.
That rant ended up being a few sentences longer than I was hoping, but the facts still stand.
and some guy loses his chance to get laid. It could be YOU!
No it couldn't. Your jedi mind tricks do not work on me.
I know this is horribly off-topic but for the sake of archival, somewhere, of some sorts, let me share with you this awesome piece of information: in Chrome, go to <chrome://flags>. There, find the "click to start plugin" option (and/or anything else you fancy :D). Then go to the configuration panel to find a third option: allow plugins, disable plugins and *click to enable*.
Big score!
How is that horribly off-topic? It seems to be very precisely on-topic.
Thanks for that info, by the way!
So would a god bashing app be allowed?
I would imagine so. Frankly, people should be applauding the fact that Apple has way loosened up on their editorial stance of the App Store and have started letting things in that are more risque and potentially offensive. It's not like they automatically install apps to your phone, you still have to go out and download it yourself. And this is certainly not an app that you will find in an Apple commercial (although I think that would be hilarious), but that doesn't mean they should have rejected it.
Freedom of speech goes in every direction, people. I know many of you think that freedom of speech should only count for what YOU think and what YOU have to say, but it doesn't. Sorry.
(I completely respect the gay community and disagree with the 'Gay Cure' app, but censorship of any kind is an evil thing that only leads to more censorship. Freedom for all is more important than emotional comfort for some.)
War is the solution to everything for you people. Horrible
War is the solution to nothing for you people. Delusional.
Stupid things and mistakes are submitted to Slashdot on an hourly basis. Blame timothy for actually posting it to the front page.
Tsunamis aren't waves that travel across the ocean and destroy everything they travel under. It's a huge volume of water moving in a particular direction, usually present near the bottom of the ocean and unnoticeable at the top, and it only has the potential to do damage when said volume of water reaches land and flows a mile at high speed.
So in other words bosses manage people and technologists manage technology. Who knew?
In other words, programmers will continue to stay at lower pay scales and be treated like drones even though they do the hard work.
In other other words, programmers who have no management skills will continue to stay at the level where they perform their job best: programming. The rare few that DO have both programming AND management skills will be treasured and move up the company ladder faster than any person who possesses only half of the equation.
Seniority is bullshit. I don't care if you've been with my company for 20 years. If your boss is a 25 year old kid that just started here, it's because you don't have the skills to be in his position, and he does.
There's nothing wrong with quoting authorities as a shorthand in a conversation, but it's not a valid argument, just an allusion.
Hey, how about "why the fuck are we arguing over whether somebody's argument about a SUBJECTIVE matter is a fallacy?" He says Direct3D is better, because he thinks it's better. Argument from authority means absolutely nothing here.
I don't know enough fluid dynamics or whatever; but I'm surprised "when" isn't just "distance / speed-of-waves", and "how big" is just "size * some 1/distance factor, or perhaps 1/distance-squared if energy goes down too.
Those calculations are easy. The problem lies in determining the size, direction, and speed of something that is invisible.